Danger-signal for railway-bridges



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. W. STEELE.

DANGER SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY BRIDGES.

Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. STEELE.

DANGER SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY BRIDGES.

No. 401,764. Patented Apr. ZBH E B Q .v k H H'H';

UNITED STATES PATENT JAMES W. STEELE, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO ANDREW MCNALLY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DANG ER-SIGNAL FOR RAI LWAY-BRIDG ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,764, dated April23, 1889.

Application filed June 1, 1888. Serial No. 275,746. (No model.)

To aZZ 1071/0121. it may concern-.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. STEELE, of Topeka, in the county of Shawneeand State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Danger-Signals for Railway-Bridges, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like letters ofreference in the different figures designate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to devise means for warningrailway-trains of danger resulting from a partial or total destructionof bridges by fire or flood or such an abnormal rise of water as mayimperil said bridges. I shall therefore describe hereinafter the meansemployed and claimed by me for this purpose, as illustrated in saiddrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwaybridgehaving my improvements applied thereto, the various parts of which arein a normal position. Fig. 2 is a face view, in detail, of a semaphorein an abnormal position or as displayed to form a danger-signal. Fig. 3is a side view of the same. Fig. 4. is a plan view thereof. Fig. 5 is aplan view of said bridge, showing the various parts of the warningdevice in an abnormal position, as caused bya fire. Fig.6 is atransversesectional view of the same, showing the tripping mechanism. Fig. 7 is alike view showing the abnormal position of the tripping mechanism whenaot= uated by a rise of water; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view, indetail, of that part of the tripping mechanism which is designed to beactuated by fire.

I will now proceed to describe the details and operation of saidimproved device.

A indicates the ties and framework of an ordinary railway-bridge, at ornear each end of which is placed any suitable form of automatic signal,but preferably a semaphore, which consists of a vertical post, B,rigidly attached to one of the ties, having an arm, 0, pivoted at 0 nearthe top thereof, to the short end of which is attached a clevis, c, fromwhich is suspended a weight, D. lhe lower end of said weight is attachedby means of links d to said arm at a point, (1, upon. the

opposite side of the pivot o from the point of suspension of saidweight, so that the long end of the arm may serve as a counterpoise tosaid weight, and when released may assume and maintain a horizontalposition, as shown in Fig. 2.

Pivoted to the postB is a clamp, E, having flanges e e sufficiently longto extend beyond and engage with the arm 0 when in a vertical position,as shown in Fig. 1. A spiral spring, 6, serves to normally maintain suchengagement. Connecting directly with one of the clamps E, and extendingacross the stream and connecting with the other of said clamps throughintervening elbow levers f f, attached to the ties and rods f f is awire, F, which is intended to withdraw the clamps E E and release thearms O, as hereinafterstated. Pivoted at g, at or near the middle of thebridge, to the ends of the ties, is a bar, G, the outer end of which isintended to projectoutwardly beyond the ends of the ties, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 7 while the opposite end is intended to restnormally beneath the end of a trippingplate, H,which projects beneaththe track-rail J, the function and operation of which will presently bedescribed. Suspended at the point g, and straddling the bar G, is aframe, K, having a cross-bar,K', at the bottom. Said frameis preventedfrom swinging outwardly by means of a cleat or bar, 70, Figs. 6 and 7,against which it is normally held by means of a spring, 7o',Fig. 1. Thisis for the purpose of preventing it from being thrown out of position bythe wind, while a strong current, consequent upon a rise of water, wouldovercome the resistance of the spring and cause the frame to swing, asshown in Fig. 7.

Loosely attached to the end of the bar G is a stirrup, G, to the lowerend of which is pivoted a bar, G the inner end of which is permits theweight to fall wholly upon the wire F, which in turn withdraws theclamps E E t and permits the arms of the semaphore to be displayed.

In order to guard against danger from fire as well as water, I haveprovided the tripping-plate H, in connection with springs which tend todisengage it from its connection with the bar G, but are normallyprevented from so doing by means of rods, cords, or strips of fusible orinflammable material, so that in case of a fire one or the other of saidconnections may be destroyed, which permits one of the springs to actwhen the bar G is tilted and the weight F released. The part 1-1 is madefrom a plate of metal, one end, h, of which projects beneath thetrack-rail, while the other extends to a point midway between saidrails. Said plate H is provided with bent flanges h h, intended tooverlap the inner bottom flange of the rail, while the opposite endrests upon a plate, H, spiked to the ties, a tongue, 71?, serving tohold them in engagement with each other and at the same time permit alateral movement of the plate I-I. Attached to the end of the plate H,above the plate H, are spiral springs L L, to the opposite ends of whichare attached rods, cords, or strips M M", of fusible or inflammablematerial-such as zinc, cotton, hemp, or the like-which are extendedlengthwise of the bridge, as shown, and attached to the ties at therespective ends, as at m on. As bridges usually take fire from sparksfrom the engine, which find lodgment in weather-cracks in the timbers,the fire in its incipiency is usually confined to the ties or someportion of the bridge between the rails, where the live coals are themost likely to fall. The strips M M, being placed midway between thetracks, as shown, are almost certain to be affected by the fire in itsearly stages, and as soon as one or the other is severed thereby thespring connected with the opposite one draws the end of the plate towardit, which serves to withdraw the part h, projecting beneath the rail,and the bar G, losing its end support, is tilted, and the weight Fprecipitated upon the wire F, which actuates the signals as effectuallyas if the frame K had been swung by the action of the water.

The strips M M are preferably composed of zinc, as being a substanceadapted to be readily consumed by fire and notveasily decomposed orotherwise affected by the elements, though rods or cords of any fibrousmaterial-such as hemp or cottoncovered with paraffine or otherprotective coating may be used, as also may short non-inflammable metalstrips jointed together with fusible solder.

The device described is one which may be easily and cheaply constructedand kept in order, and is effectual for the purpose of indicating dangerfrom fire or flood.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1.. The combinatiomwith arailway-bridge, of automatic signals at or near the ends thereof, a wireor cable for connecting the releasing mechanism of said signals, afloattrigger, a weight attached to said cable at or near the middle ofthe bridge, a pivoted bar in operative connection with said trigger fornormally sustaining said weight, a secondary pivoted bar for sustainingsaid weight-supporting bar, a tripping-plate for normally holding saidsecondary bar, springs attached to said tripping-plate, and rods, cords,or strips of fusible or inflammable material attached to the ends of thebridge for holding said springs under resilient tension, whereby a fireor dangerous rise of water may release said weight and actuate saidsignals, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a bridge, of the tripping-plate H, springs L L,rods, cords, or strips M M, for holding said springs under resilienttension, bars G G the latter being suspended from the former,float-trigger K, weight F,and cable F, in operative connection withautomatic signals at or near the ends of the bridge, substantially asshown and described. a

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of May, 1888.

JAMES W. STEELE.

WVitnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, J. B. HALPENNY.

